Gustavus Wind Orchestra

The Gustavus Wind Orchestra is the touring wind ensemble of the Department of Music at Gustavus Adolphus College. Gustavus Wind Orchestra is the oldest touring ensemble at Gustavus and holds the distinguished honor of being the oldest touring collegiate band in the United States west of the Mississippi River. With traditions nearly 150 years old.

Modeled after the flexible wind ensemble and allowing for all students to perform both as soloists and members of the large ensemble, GWO musicians benefit from a comprehensive music performance education regardless of their Gustavus major of study. The Gustavus Wind Orchestra, represeting almost all academic majors on campus, perform solo repertoire, chamber music, and large ensemble music. The ensemble is constantly performing the most artistic and creative wind ensemble repertoire from all time periods. Gustavus Wind Orchestra, in all that it does, prides itself upon the foundation of the ars liberal education, and the liberal arts stand as the pillar of their flexible, creative programs.

During its rich and storied history the Gustavus Wind Orchestra has toured annually within the United States and Canada, traveling internationally every four years. These tours bring GWO’s music and service model to all corners of the globe and have reached thousands of communities and hundreds of thousands of people world-wide.